Under Her Wings
by Gracie Holmes
Summary: Doctor Helen Magnus had a twin sister, Amanda. Until the day that Amanda was called to be a vessel for an angel called Naomi.
1. August 1895

Patricia Heathering Magnus and Doctor George Magnus were blessed with twin girls in the early morning of the 27th of August 1850. Helen and Amanda were born thirteen minutes apart, both blue eyed wispy blondes. Only the older would keep the blonde hair of their mother, the younger's would darken to auburn waves.

Despite being extremely similar in appearance, the sisters had vastly different interests. Where young Helen would be exploring with her microscope and questioning her father's research; Amanda was more conservative and creative, settling into the traditional role of a young Victorian woman. Helen was ambitious, searching for knowledge and answers wherever she could find them. Amanda was more whimsical, kind-hearted and open. Despite the differences, the two developed a balanced friendship and understanding as the years passed.

While Helen was auditing classes at Oxford, Amanda married an American and moved to the States in 1872. The sisters stayed in contact by letter over the years and Helen visited more than a couple times in the decades that followed their separation. They were as close as two sisters could be across continents in the nineteenth century.

Amanda had two children in quick succession, Oliver and Samantha, in the mid 1870s. Her husband, Benjamin Carter, was a banker and the family finally settled in San Francisco, California. Helen experienced her own heartbreak and instead of carrying the child she'd conceived with John Druitt, froze the embryo until the right time came. She never married and dove into carrying on their father's research and legacy.

But 1895, the year the sisters turned 45, was the year that everything changed. Amanda grew ill over the summer. A previously undetected cancer spread like wildfire through her body, bringing her from active and healthy to on death's door in just three months.

And it was at that time that her sister came for a visit, for it would be their last.

Doctor Helen Magnus stepped off of the train into the moderate San Franciscan summer. Her heart was heavy and her body worn from the week and a half spent traveling. The cab took her to the Pacific Heights district and her sister's small mansion home. It was a beautiful day and she turned her face towards the California sunshine, bright and full of life. So contrary to what she'd find inside.

Aside from servants, Amanda was living alone at this point, an accident claimed her husband only two years prior. Her two children were both in their early twenties, married, and living hours from the home they grew up in. Helen was let into the house by the maid, who took her bags and directed her to where Amanda was resting.

After a quiet few minutes of conversation with the nurse who'd been caring for Amanda, Helen had the full prognosis of her sister's declining health. The very thought of the unseen and unstoppable ravishing her sister's body was enough to make her chest clench. But when she walked in the room, she smiled softly at the sight.

Despite the weakness that her illness had brought, there was a light color to Amanda's cheeks and a thoughtful smile on her face. Amanda was tucked in under a blanket on her bed, a book not too far away. The younger twin lit up when Helen walked in the room, tears of joy filling her eyes. "Oh Helen…I'm so glad you came."

Helen shed her outer coat and heeled boots, and glided over to press a kiss to her sister's forehead. "I'm here, Mandy. Always."

The two women spent over an hour catching up. Helen shared what little she would let her sister know of her work, but she mostly just listened. Amanda radiated a covetable peace as she discussed the visits she'd had from her children, the books she'd been reading, and the trip they'd taken to the beach to watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

Amanda's expression was serene but slightly hesitant as she mentioned something else that had happened to her most recently, her assimilated American accent soft as she spoke. "I had an unexpected visitor as well. It's…it's an angel. A real angel. She…she needs me."

"An angel?" Helen reached to grasp her sister's hand again, concerned that her sister was closer to dying than she anticipated. "There is no such thing, Mandy, only stories. And frankly unbelievable ones at that."

"Don't be so skeptical, Helen. She's real." Amanda teased with a soft smile and a squeeze of her hands. "An angel, a powerful being, like so many of your…creatures."

Helen interrupted to correct her. "Abnormals."

"Yes, of course. But there is so much your science cannot explain. I think…I think this is real." Amanda insisted quietly. "She needs my help, she needs _me._ My body as a vessel to dwell in."

"What?" Thin brows shot up. "Needs your body? Mandy, you can't-"

"You know I'm going to die. Whether it's tomorrow, or whether it's twenty years from now." Amanda reached a hand to touch her sister's face. Identical brilliant blue eyes met. "I'm not you, Helen. I'm not going to live forever. My children are my legacy. This... _this_ could be so much more than what's left for me."

Helen sniffed back tears, willing herself not to cry in the face of losing her sister and oldest friend. She'd done well this far, but one couldn't hold it back forever. "Your place is here. I've been working with some experimental treatments with James, it's possible I can halt the cancer-"

"No." Amanda said, unable to stop her own tears at this point. "Helen please, she needs my help. It's a very important mission. This is my choice."

"How long? How long is this for?"

Amanda paused, concerned not for herself, but for her sister. "Years, centuries perhaps. She said the plans were sliding into place. She needs a vessel to bring them to fruition on Earth. I, I know I won't be back. I know this is it."

Helen's jaw clenched. "She? Who is this _angel_ anyways?"

"Her name is Naomi…like the Bible stories Mother told us. Naomi, a mother who'd do anything for her children. A mother and widow who lost and gained."

Helen's expression fell and she shoved the memories away that threatened to resurface. Memories of John, memories of her sister and her children, memories of those children losing their mother. Her next question was simple. "Why you?"

"She says it's a familial trait, passed down through generations. She says I am worthy, and she'll ensure my family's protection. I need to do this, Helen. And you won't convince me otherwise. Please…just stay with me. That's all I ask."

There was a tense moment, but Helen gave in and bowed her head to cry. Their hands were joined firmly, but her voice shaky when she spoke. "I'll stay with you. I promise. Till the end."

Naomi came later that night, like a whisper in the darkness at first. A whisper that would turn into a roar. Helen waited as a bright light descended and covered Amanda's bed. She watched until the light was too intense to behold and the room filled with a heat that could have been from a wildfire. Holy, all-encompassing, supernatural, and infinite. Whatever this angel was…there was power here. More power than Helen had ever felt or witnessed before.

By the time the light dimmed and Naomi took over Amanda's body, Helen had collapsed in a chair, nearly sobbing. Her shoulders shook as the realization of losing her sister took hold of her. Amanda was no more.

Standing from the bed, the angel breathed in and out, the gold glow in her eyes finally dimming. She turned to the other twin, tilting her head slightly to regard her. "Your sister will have peace. Her children and her children's children will be safe. You have my word."

Her voice was too different, but at the same time, horribly familiar. And her words didn't give the comfort it probably was meant to. Helen opened her eyes, wiping away tears with her sleeves. She saw her sister, a woman who had been both her childhood friend and enemy, standing as she hadn't in a week. Eyes sharp and not filled with pain. But it wasn't Amanda, the spark and twinkle in her eye was gone. Replaced with an oldness, a _divineness_ that couldn't be explained. Helen didn't speak, she wasn't sure she could at this point.

Naomi vanished with a flutter of unseen feathers. Her last words echoing in Helen's head: _"Good-bye, Helen Magnus. Until we meet again."_

Helen was left alone, as she would always be.


	2. August 2000

One hundred and five years later, Helen Magnus still stood alone. The only difference today was that her fourteen year old daughter and a teenage lycan were tucked in their beds, waiting for another day of running around the Sanctuary. Her dear friend was preparing breakfast, and the abnormals living there were at peace. She'd spent decades building what she had, this Sanctuary network. She always looked forward, moved on, built more, gave more.

Today was not for celebration. She'd never been one for birthdays after all, she'd had too many of them. And what was a birthday without the person who was supposed to share it with you? This pre-dawn hour was for introspection, dwelling on someone she hadn't seen in over a century. She'd allow herself this moment of weakness, of heartbreak and loss, then she would move on.

Helen stood on the roof of her Sanctuary. The shawl she'd wrapped around her shoulders blew just a bit in the cool breeze of the pre-dawn August morning. She spoke three words softly into the wind. "Happy Birthday, Amanda."

Behind her was a soft flutter of feathers. Sudden appearances and odd noises weren't unusual in the Sanctuary, but Helen knew better. The sound was unique to one type of creature. One she hadn't had contact with in over a century.

She didn't turn around to address the creature she wanted nothing to do with. "Why are you here?"

"You know why." The voice was so familiar, but it'd been over a hundred years since she heard it. Amanda's empathetically developed American accent lacked the soft quality that had been a characteristic of her twin. This wasn't Amanda, nor would it ever be. Amanda was dead, her body taken over by this…angel.

Helen finally turned. The angel had clad Amanda's body in a grey suit and a button up shirt that was far too stiff for the kind-hearted woman that her sister had been. Amanda's hair was back in a neat bun and there was nothing familiar behind the bright blue eyes that were staring back at her.

Naomi clasped her hands in front of her. "I mean you no harm. I…came to see you, but not for my sake. Amanda has been a good partner for me. Her memories are… curious, admirable. She loves you very much."

" _Loved_." Helen corrected. "You took her away, from her family, from meeting her grandchildren. She's as good as dead."

"She is still very much alive. In here, with me." Naomi said.

"What life is that? Trapped in your own body for all of eternity." Helen said. "No control…nothing to do when you watch loved ones die."

"Her children lived full lives. There children's children as well. I kept my word. They flourished. And you…well I'd like to say you've done the same."

Helen's expression was stoney. "What do you want?" She demanded again.

"To give you a gift." Naomi's pink lips shifted into a smile. But she didn't _say_ anything else.

It was then the angel receded and her sister came back. Her eyes closed. Her entire demeanor and posture changed. Rigid shoulders slouched, arms relaxed, and bright blue eyes opened again. A _so_ familiar smile covered her features, it was a smile Helen had seen on her own daughter, and the moment alone was enough to make her chest clench.

Amanda didn't look around at the view of the city, she simply stared at her sister as if she were the only thing that existed. "Hello Helen. I missed you."

Helen willed herself not to cry, but it was going to happen anyways. She stepped down from the ledge, slowly putting one foot in front of the other until she was close enough to touch. "It's you…you're still alive."

"I am." Amanda didn't waste any time and pulled Helen into an almost crushing embrace. As if one hundred years hadn't passed. She tucked her face into Helen's dark hair. "I'm here."

"I missed you, Mandy." Helen created in deeply as she returned the embrace in equal strength. "So, so, much. I have too much to tell you. So much has happened."

There was a bit of a pause before the twin spoke. "I know. Naomi's been…keeping an eye on you…sharing your story with me. I…I am so proud of you. Father would have been as well."

Helen wouldn't let herself cry, but her eyes watered all the same. "I've done my best." She said. "I don't have anything else."

There was silence between them, words going unspoken as they held each other. The physical embrace all that was needed for comfort in the face of their unique situation.

"I don't have long." Amanda told her. "Naomi has business to attend to on Earth."

"But…but you need to meet Ashley." Helen said, pulling away instead to look at her in the eye. "She…she has your impish smile, and she looks so much like Samantha did. Blonde, of course. Clever blue eyes."

Amanda's expression both spoke of the loss of her daughter so many decades ago and the joy that came from Helen having her own. "I'm glad you have her, and I hope she takes after you in more than just appearance."

"She doesn't even know about you, about what happened, she's so young yet."

"Everyone is young compared to us." Amanda joked with a smile that spoke of years of teenagers and quiet humor. "We are one-hundred and fifty today."

"Celebrating a birthday seems rather futile to do at this point." Helen said, cupping her twin's face in her hands. "But seeing you…I believe that's the best gift I've gotten all century."

"I would agree with you." Amanda teased again, but her face was so soft and loving. So contradictory to the impassive angel she hosted. "I love you, Helen. And I always will, no matter what happens. No matter the storms you weather or if I never see you again. You are a woman of strength and character. Of passion and ambition." Her eyes teared up as well. "I'm so happy. So, so happy with what you've done with the years you were given."

The two held each other again, crying softly in each other's arms. Crying was not a weakness in this time, crying was strength. And a reminder that they were both, at this moment in time and after decades, very much alive.

Naomi and Amanda didn't stay much longer. Amanda never got to meet Ashely, nor see the rest of the Sanctuary. Naomi had work to do and the ten minutes the twins got to be together was more than the angel had anticipated giving upon taking the vessel.

Amanda gave Helen one last goodbye. A soft kiss to her twin's forehead. And then she was gone. Her eyes flashed a white gold as Naomi took over Amanda's mind and body. She didn't speak, she didn't offer words of parting or assurance. She just snapped her wings and took Amanda away.

In a flutter of feathers as the sun was rising over Old City, Helen was left alone again.


	3. May 2013

Naomi was dead.

At least that was the popular theory. In all reality, it wasn't too far off.

While Metatron's assassination attempt was a decent try, the tool that had lived in Naomi's hands for thousands of years would not betray its master. It dug into her grace, causing blinding pain, but did not end the bright wavelength of celestial intent. Naomi and her vessel were thrown out of Heaven with the other angels when Metatron activated the spell, yet her wings were protected by the tool's power. They crashed to Earth broken, bloody, and nearly dead.

Naomi had a mission though, so she clung to life with every part of herself. It would be one last thank you, one last attempt to make the regrets of thousands of years go away.

Naomi would take Amanda home.

Amanda's body was broken, and if Naomi left it or died, they both would not survive this. Both beings were together through this, both shared the pain, both experienced the hopelessness.

Both had the determination to survive.

* * *

"Nikola!" Helen Magnus stepped out of her office into the fading light of the new Sanctuary's main courtyard. She'd heard a crash, and there was really only one vampire to blame for things crashing at this time of night.

Her heels clicked on the ground while she walked in the direction of the noise. "Nikola?" She called out again, but the scene that was in front of her was not the work of a genius vampire.

On the ground, splayed out on the grass was the limp body of her sister. Helen felt her heart catch in her throat and she closed the distance as quickly as she could.

"Mandy?" Helen knelt next to her, hands reaching to assess the damage. The suit was the same as what she'd worn thirteen years ago when last she saw her. But there was blood on the grass coming from the back of her head. The possibilities were many, but Helen had the distinct suspicion that Naomi was there as well. When the broken angel was unresponsive, Helen called over her shoulder, shouting for her assistant. Her attention fixed back on Amanda's face. "It's alright, we'll keep you safe."

They struggled through the next few hours. There was a wound in the back of Amanda's head that needed treatment, surgery, and medication. Helen wasn't quite sure what the angel inside of Amanda would do to the body's physiology, that area of study was untouched, but she operated as best as she could. And long hours later, Amanda was laying in the hospital bed, head bandaged, bloody skin cleaned, and bones reset. _Alive._ She was unconscious at the moment, whether it was the sedative or the exhaustion from the journey, it was impossible to tell.

Helen stood at the foot of the bed, cleaned up from the surgery and back in her civilian clothes. Her lab coat was open and her arms were crossed over her chest.

"She's kinda hot, in a 'hey that's your sister' hot." Nikola Telsa finally made an appearance, coming up alongside Helen with a tablet in hand and smelling of wine. He spoke again before she had the chance to reply. "And yes, I know that was inappropriate. I thought you said she died, and yet…here she is."

"She didn't die, she was possessed by an angel, which had the exact same outcome at the time."

Nikola was silent a moment. "So is this the angel too then?"

"I would guess so. Unfortunately, there's a lot of guessing going on. Far too much for my liking." Helen paused. "She's alive. One of them is at least."

"Let's just hope it's the one you actually want. Angels who steal bodies don't seem like the best company." Nikola turned on his heel. "If you can step away from her, I'm going to be opening a bottle of 2001 Château Cheval Blanc with or without you."

"Save me a glass," Helen said. "But I'll be staying here for a while longer yet. Just a few more tests."

Nikola didn't verbally reply but a hum of acceptance, and he left the room. Helen listened to his retreating footsteps until all she was left with was the quiet sounds of the medical equipment.

She couldn't be sure how long she stayed. She slipped back to the lab to start the test, coming back to Amanda's bedside to sit down. She read, she dozed, eventually Nikola brought her a glass of wine and then disappeared to work again. Hours passed.

Eventually, far too long in Helen's opinion, Amanda woke up. She turned her head and released a quiet sigh. "Hmm? 'elen?"

Helen was up in an instant upon hearing the soft sound, standing so she could lean over the bed. "Mandy?"

"Mmhere," Amanda breathed out, blinking her eyes open and then closing them again against the light. "Hurts."

"I know, I know." Helen took Amanda's hand, and with her other hand helped give her a drink of water. "You had a serious injury to the back of your head." Frankly she was surprised her sister still had her eyesight, but she didn't mention that. "You're safe now, here with me. I promise, you'll recover."

Amanda nodded, breathing deeply and relaxing back into the pillows. "Thank you." She squeezed Helen's hand. "She's still here…with me."

"Naomi?"

"Yes. She…she doesn't think she's going to make it. We…we were…no, he tried to kill us. But the damage…to her was great. She's trying to…heal me."

Helen's brow pinched, running through the possibilities. There was no question in her mind whether she would save the angel if she could. She made a promise to be a Sanctuary to whoever needed it. The problem was that she didn't know how to help. Angels were out of her scope of practice. And there was little research that held up any merit. "What can I do?"

Amanda peeked her eyes open again. "I don't know. I don't think you can do anything."

Helen squeezed Amanda's hand. "We'll wait then. And keep you comfortable."

"Thank you," Amanda sniffed. "I'm so gland you're here."

"You as well, dear sister."

Amanda slipped back into a quiet sleep a few minutes later, one that lasted into the next day. She was recovering, her results were improving, and her vital signs were getting stronger. Time would tell if the angel would improve as well.

Days passed and there was no sign of Naomi. Amanda had no new information, only that she knew Naomi was still there. Unconscious or dying, but still there.

Amanda's recovery continued to progress. She moved from the infirmary into a bedroom. She spent the days sleeping, reading, staring out the window, worrying, and adjusting back to living life in control of her body. It wasn't as easy as one might expect.

Naomi was silent. And she remained that way for a whole week before she finally emerged. Late one evening, Helen and Amanda were seated across from each other with a chess board in the middle of a friendly game.

"Remember those muffins Mother used to make? And the day she tried to teach us and we nearly burnt through the tin?" Helen laughed quietly as she leaned back in her seat.

Amanda laughed too, a musical giggle that somehow sounded lighter than Helen's own. "We were only six, it can't have been an easy task-" Whatever she was going to say next was interrupted. Her blue eyes flashed white-gold and she straightened her posture. Long blinks accompanied Naomi's return to consciousness.

Helen sobered immediately. "Naomi?"

"Yes." Naomi scanned the room, but ultimately focused in on Helen. "I'm here."

"We've been waiting, Mandy wasn't sure. How are you feeling?" Helen had switched into doctor-mode, reaching to take her pulse.

"Exhaustion. Weariness. Pain." Naomi listed the symptoms slowly, turning her wrist so Helen could have better access. "How long?"

The stethoscope came out next. "Just over a week, you crashed into my Sanctuary." Helen glanced up at her. "What can I do for you? How else can we help you?"

"There is nothing, I just need time. I will have to stay here, I'm too weak to find a new vessel," Naomi said. "Our injury was great, my grace has diminished. She would not have survived. But I will ensure she does, even if I have to give up my spirit."

"I think we're passed that stage." Helen draped the stethoscope around her neck and reached for Naomi's hands. She held them between hers, possessive, protective, reassuring. "You're under my care now, Naomi. Amanda doesn't want you to die and neither do I. We'll do everything in our power, do you understand?"

Naomi almost smiled, her expression softening into something much more ancient than Amanda's never-ending youthfulness. The difference was noticeable. She bowed her head once in gratitude. "Thank you Helen, I am not sure I deserve as much, but I will accept it."

"You brought her back to me," Helen said, matching her smile with a teary one of her own. "I cannot repay you enough for that."

"I need no repayment," Naomi said, her voice already fading with exhaustion as she fell back into Amanda's mind. "Only sanctuary…"

"Naomi?"

Amanda blinked several times in a row, inhaling sharply as Naomi retreated once again. "I'm sorry, I think she needs another break…but I think I can communicate with her now, she's awake at least."

Helen squeezed Amanda's hands and let her go. "That's a step in the right direction. We'll see this through."

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and Naomi's recovery was slow. But she was moving forward. She could take control of Amanda's body for longer lengths of time. She could begin to manifest her power. All they needed was more time.

Amanda threw herself into her sister's work, helping run the Sanctuary using her own skills and unique brightness. During those times Naomi seemed completely content to hover in the background. The angel's mission had changed, and Amanda seemed in no hurry to get rid of her, only to see her through to full health. Only to feel like she wasn't going to lose the only company she'd had for a hundred and eighteen years.

By the time winter rolled around and Naomi's strength had returned, she disappeared with Amanda. No note, no information, nothing to indicate she'd intended to return. She was gone for a week.

Helen spent the majority of the time pacing the hall, sending prayers, working on ways to track the angel. There were doubts, fears that Naomi would have just vanished, never to return with her sister again.

It was one such afternoon she was pacing her office when a soft flutter of tired wings from behind her signaled Naomi's return. Helen spun around and the sight in front of her made her question the reality of the situation. Standing there, dressed in white and wearing a smile of a ghost, stood a young woman Helen never thought she'd see again. Her heart caught in her throat and her eyes stung as she stammered for words.

Naomi stood just behind the young woman, hands clasped in front of her and satisfied smile on her face. Her penitence was paid. This was her mission completed.

"Hey Mom." Ashley Magnus closed the distance and pulled Helen into a fierce hug. "I missed you."


End file.
